Johnny Van Zant

The youngest brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd founder Ronnie Van Zant and .38 Special's Donnie Van Zant, Johnny Van Zant grew up in the shadow of his older siblings, who emerged as major figures in rock & roll during the early and mid-1970s. The death of Ronnie Van Zant and other key members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup in a plane crash on October 20, 1977 eventually put Johnny in the position of being one holder of the Lynyrd Skynyrd legacy, but he started performing long before he became a part of the reformed 1980s/1990s version of the band.



Johnny Van Zant began performing at age 15. His original inclination was to be a drummer, but he ultimately chose singing as his profession -- his brother Ronnie used to say that Johnny had the best voice in the family. His first group, the Austin Nickels Band, featuring Robbie Gay on guitar and Ribbue Morris on drums, played the local bar circuit, with Ronnie as mentor to the band. After Ronnie's death in 1977, Donnie Van Zant helped advise the group, but they didn't record their first album until 1980. Under the name Johnny Van Zant, he cut his first album, No More Dirty Deals, with the band -- by now including Eric Lundgren on guitar and Ronnie Clausman on bass -- in 1980. That debut record concluded with his tribute to Ronnie, "Standing In the Darkness."

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